COMMUNION - DOWNTOWN LA.

BARELY OUT OF MY UBER, I AM GREETED BY A MAN WHO LOOKS LIKE HE HASN’T SHOWERED

FOR SOME TIME. “I’M SORRY,” I TELL HIM, “ I DON’T HAVE ANY CASH ON ME.” THIS

ISN’T TRUE; I HAVE A $20. HAVING KNOWELAGE OF AN OPEN BAR, I PULLED CASH FROM

THE ATM ON MY WAY TO THE EXHIBITION TO TIP THE BARTENDER. AS I LOOK INTO THE

STRANGER’S KIND, HOPEFUL FACE, I JUSTIFY NOT HANDING OVER THE BILL BY INSISTING

THE CASH HAD ALREADY BEEN EARMARKED FOR THE BARTENDER. “DO YOU HAVE A

LIGHT?” WHILE I DON’T SMOKE, THE ANAL RETENTIVE, HOARDER IN ME ALMOST ALWAYS

CARRIES A “JUST-IN-CASE” LIGHTER. RELIEF WASHES OVER ME AS I BEGIN TO THINK I

CAN ALLEVIATE THE GROWING GUILT WITH A SIMPLE FLICK OF A LIGHTER. THE RELIEF IS

FLEETING. AS I REACH INTO MY BAG, I REALIZE IT’S NOT MY NORMAL BAG. I HAD INTENTIONALLY

DOWNSIZED SO AS NOT TO APPEAR LIKE THE WEIRD, BAG LADY AT THE COOL,

DTLA ART OPENING. STANDING FACE-TO-FACE WITH THE BAREFOOT MAN, KNOWING I

WOULD HAVE TO ONCE AGAIN DENY HIS SIMPLE REQUEST, I HAVE A MOMENT OF TRUTH,

“DO I USE THE MONEY FOR THE BAR OR GIVE THE $20 TO SOMEONE WHO CLEARLY

NEEDS IT MORE?” GUESS WHAT I DID.

PRIORITIES, I KNOW,

I ’ M A N A S S H O L E .

WALKING AWAY FROM THE STRANGER AND TOWARD THE ENTRANCE OF EXPERIENCE-

BASED ART EXHIBITION, COMMUNION, I CONTINUED TO STRUGGLE WITH MY

DECISION. AS IF THE INNER TURMOIL WASN’T BAD ENOUGH, UNBEKNOWNST TO MYSELF

AND THE OTHER COMMUNION ATTENDEES, THE SHOELESS MAN IN TATTERED CLOTHES

WAS PART OF THE EVENT. KEVIN, A VERY CONVINCING ACTOR, WAS HIRED TO ROAM THE

SIDEWALK IN FRONT OF THE EXHIBITION ENTRANCE. HE WAS ARMED WITH TOKENS TO

GIVE TO THE STRANGERS WHO SHOWED HIM KINDNESS. TOKEN RECIPIENTS RECEIVED

A SPECIAL GIFT FROM THE ARTISTS. DURING THE FOUR-HOUR, WELL-ATTENDED ART

SHOW, KEVIN GAVE AWAY A GRAND TOTAL OF THREE TOKENS.